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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-3--613255782 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Bernard, It's certainly a fossil fern. The structure of the frond, leaflets, and lobes bears some resemblance to contemporary ferns such as fragile fern (Cystopteris fragilis) or Venus maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) but it is clearly not exactly the same as either of these. Paleozoic forests had groups of ferns such as seed and tree ferns which no longer exist today. There is an interesting website which has information on Paleozoic fossil seed and tree ferns, with links to photos of fossils of many species at: http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite8.html http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite9.html The home page of this excellent site on Paleozoic Forests is: http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/ebot.html An excellent find! Chris On 1-Sep-08, at 8:46 PM, Bernard Burke wrote: > All > > I have just returned from Cape Breton and my brother showed me an > interesting rock that he discovered. He was following the shoreline > when he spotted what appeared to be a plant impression on a piece of > rock, and fortunately he thought of looking for other pieces because > he pretty much found the entire rock as it looked before it had > somehow become broken. Looking at this rock as a whole with the > pieces assembled together, most people would likely have never given > it a second look: > > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/6/50427443_rWnnA/ > Medium > > This is how it looks in three pieces: > > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/5/50427447_rQYVD/ > Medium > > This is a photo of the two main pieces folded back pretty much the > same as opening a book, showing symmetry of the plant at the point > of breakage: > > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/5/50431093_H3WWG/ > Medium > > Here is the previous photo, cropped for a closer look: > > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/5/50431095_W6vBC/ > Medium > > I was wondering if anyone with a knowledge of plants can tell us if > they see a close resemblance to any plant that exists today. > Thanks in advance. > > Bernard Burke > blburke@ns.sympatico.ca > Dartmouth Christopher Majka Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca --Apple-Mail-3--613255782 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi = Bernard,<div><br></div><div>It's certainly a fossil fern. The structure = of the frond, leaflets, and lobes bears some resemblance to contemporary = ferns such as fragile fern (<i>Cystopteris fragilis)</i> or Venus = maidenhair fern (<i>Adiantum capillus-veneris</i>) but it is clearly not = exactly the same as either of these. Paleozoic forests had groups = of ferns such as seed and tree ferns which no longer exist = today.</div><div><br></div><div>There is an interesting website which = has information on Paleozoic fossil seed and tree ferns, with links to = photos of fossils of many species at:</div><div><br></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite8.= html">http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite8.ht= ml</a></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite9.= html">http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite9.ht= ml</a></div><div><br></div><div>The home page of = this excellent site on Paleozoic Forests = is:</div><div><br></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/ebot.ht= ml">http://www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/ebot.html</= a></div><div><br></div><div>An excellent = find!</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><div><br><div><div>On = 1-Sep-08, at 8:46 PM, Bernard Burke wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; = font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; = letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: = auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; = widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div bgcolor=3D"#ffffff"><div><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2">All</font></div><div><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"2"></font> </div><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2">I = have just returned from Cape Breton and my brother showed me an = interesting rock that he discovered. He was following the shoreline when = he spotted what appeared to be a plant impression on a piece of rock, = and fortunately he thought of looking for other pieces because he pretty = much found the entire rock as it looked before it had somehow become = broken. Looking at this rock as a whole with the pieces assembled = together, most people would likely have never given it a = second look:</font></div><div><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"2"></font> </div><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2"><a = href=3D"http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/6/50427443_rWnnA/M= edium">http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/6/50427443_rWnnA/Me= dium</a></font></div><div><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"2"></font> </div><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2">This = is how it looks in three pieces:</font></div><div><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"2"></font> </div><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2"><a = href=3D"http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/5/50427447_rQYVD/M= edium">http://bernieb.smugmug.com/gallery/916397_ynXPk/5/50427447_rQYVD/Me= dium</a></font></div><div><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"2"></font> </div><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2">This = is a photo of the two main pieces folded back pretty much the same as = openi